


Our Little Boxes

by crescent_gaia



Series: Person of Interest: Alpha/Omega AU [6]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F, In response to Episode .exe, M/M, Spoilers for Episode .exe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-15 05:23:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7209545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescent_gaia/pseuds/crescent_gaia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone fits into a little box of alpha/beta/omega... even the Machine and Samaritan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Our Little Boxes

**Author's Note:**

> There are spoilers for the episode .exe, which aired 6/14/16, so tread carefully. Please enjoy.

Root watched over Harold’s shoulder as he wrote some new code into the machine. She itched to ask, but she knew when it was time to be quiet. She did rest her chin on his shoulder, which made him tense for a moment, before he continued typing. “You’ve come a long way as well, Harold,” she said quietly. “You would have moved away before, wondering if I was going to kill you with my next move, but now you trust me.”

“Only because you’ve come a long way as well,” he replied quietly. “And, if your intel is correct, then we need to teach her how to protect herself. They wish to couple the two and it won’t help anyone aside from Samaritan. The only thing I worry about is how close you came to one of them and walked away. Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes. And I wasn’t followed. I made more than sure of that. And, Harry, she already knows how to do that. For all of the ways you’ve crippled her, you’ve never made it so she wouldn’t be able to protect Herself.” She sighed. “What if it’s wrong? What if they’re just both machines and we’re making delusions of grandeur?”

“You’re sounding more like me. Not sure if you want that or not.”

“Just an alternate theory,” she said.

“We’re all put into boxes – alpha, omega, beta – why do you think they’re different?” he asked. “Arthur was an alpha, I’m an omega. Greer’s an alpha… I’m sure you understand.”

She nodded. “There was another piece of intel – Greer thinks controlling you controls Her.”

“Oh, if wishing made it so,” he said and smiled as the Machine disagreed. “I am more than safe, considering the cover identities, and, like you said, you weren’t followed.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, my favorite way to stop an alpha is Taser to the knot.”

“That sounds painful,” Shaw said as she leaned against the doorway to the computer room. “Why are you talking about that?”

“You should tell her,” he said as the Machine agreed.

“I know,” Root said, getting up and leading Shaw away to explain the latest mission.

He raised an eyebrow at the shouting and smiled as the Machine closed the doors. “Thank you.”

‘ **I know you need to work in silence for this. Have you ever stopped one who wanted you no matter what?** ’

“Only once and it nearly didn’t matter,” he replied. “I was lucky, as Nathan heard me shout, and… well, he offered so I would have protection. We were already good friends at that time but you know how it ends.”

‘ **So, you are giving me an alpha?’**

“No,” he said. “I’m giving you friends. Coded friends, but ones who can step in in case Samaritan ever breaches and none of us can help you. Or if you are unable to shout. They’ll contact either myself or Root… John if need be. We’ll get him out and figure out where to go from there. But this will protect you.”

‘ **Why did you never want another after Nathan?** ’

“I do, but I also know that it would complicate our lives too much. That it would make everything more painful if we continue to our ends. I doubt that any of us will get out of this alive.”

‘ **Then why not make life count?** ’

“Think you’ve taught it a bit too well, Harold,” John said.

“How long have you been listening?” Harold asked, not looking away from the screens.

“Since she asked about an alpha,” John said, moving to sit where Root was. He did the same thing she did, washing away the scent of the omega, and smiled as Harold leaned into him. “I agree with her.”

“I know,” Harold said quietly. “It’s not because I don’t want it. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Why do you think you’re going to be the only one dead?” John asked. “We might all be gone in the end.”

Harold sighed. “John…”

“I don’t care,” John said. “If I cared, I wouldn’t have tried in the first place. I wouldn’t have joined you in the first place. We’ve been moving towards the two of us, together, since the first time you’ve saved me. Then the second time, then when I saved you… we’ve been saving the other because, as much as neither of us believe in fate, that’s exactly how this feels.”

“Alright,” Harold said. “Let me put in the last of the code.”

John kissed Harold’s cheek before moving and letting Harold finish. His head turned as he heard the phone in the wall ring and got up, trying to move to the doors. “Harold…”

“What?” Harold asked, putting the last bit in and executed it before turning around in the chair. “You can open the doors,” he said to the Machine as Root went to answer.

‘ **They can take this one.** ’ the Machine replied.

Root wrote down the number and grinned, waving to Reese and Harold, before grabbing Sameen and dragging her out. “Play nice!” she called before they both left.

It was only until both were gone that the Machine opened the doors to the subway car. John went to the door of the new library, trying it and finding that it was locked from the outside. “You might need our help,” he said over the ear pieces.

“If we do, we’ll call. Until that time, have a bit of fun,” Shaw said.

Reese grumbled before turning and looking back to where Harold was. “Harold?” he asked as the omega hadn’t moved. He went back to the subway car, seeing the omega tense in pain with the scent to match it. “What happened?” he asked, searching the omega for what was wrong.

“The supplements are slipping. Heats after the accident were extremely painful. This one feels like the worse yet. It’s why I went on them in the first place.” Harold tried to say more as another wave of pain rolled through. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“It has if you’ve been taking them for years with no breaks, Harold,” John said, looking worried, and gently pulling Harold into a hug. “You’re going to have to go a few days off and… if we have time – “

“If we have time and it comes, then we’ll do it.”

John nodded, reaching down and gently picking his omega up as he took him to the small bedroom to help him.

*~*~*~*

Root smirked as the Machine told her the progress of what was happening down in the subway. She kissed Shaw’s cheek, laughing as she was pulled into the alpha’s lap for a full kiss, and grinned. “Not a full heat, but it is a big full step in the right direction.”

“About damned time,” Shaw said. “Also, number’s been dealt with. Tell me you don’t have to do anything else today.”

“At the moment, I don’t, but I bet you’ll find something to keep me interested.” Root grinned, hearing the Machine was going to leave everyone alone for at least two hours as the newest omega on the team learned how to fight.

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for the fade to black on both of our couples. I'm having issues writing bedroom scenes at the moment and I so wanted to get this out there.


End file.
